Jason Statham in Death Race

English actor Jason Statham (Crank, “The Transporter” films, The Italian Job) is in talks to star in the futuristic thriller Death Race.

The Universal Pictures project is a remake of Roger Corman’s 1975 cult classic Death Race 2000, which starred David Carradine and Sylvester Stallone. It was set in a dystopian America in which the president presides over an ultraviolent road race from New York to Los Angeles. One of the ways that drivers score points is by mowing down innocent bystanders using their heavily armed cars.

Paul W.S. Anderson (Alien vs. Predator, Resident Evil) is writing and directing the remake. A late summer/early fall start is being eyed.